No Little Plans: Fairfax County's PLUS Program for Managing Growth

摘要

This executive summary on Fairfax County's PLUS program for managing growth is for citizens, decisionmakers, and all local government staff involved in planning and land - use control. It describes the growth of Fairfax County, Va., a large suburb of Washington, D.C.; the adoption of the PLUS program designed to control growth and achieve a development plan for the county; results of the PLUS program; and some general lessons that were learned. The PLUS program had three major elements: development of updated, comprehensive land - use plans, a capital improvement plan, and planning tools; establishment of a method for regulating the development rate according to public facilities availability; and encouragement of extensive citizen participation. PLUS was successful in only the first and last tasks. Between 1960 and 1970, the county's population, just under 100,000 in 1950, rose 83 percent; school enrollment, 133 percent; and the county budget, more than 300 percent. The county government responded by refining zoning ordinances and allocating sewer capacity to allow for planned unit development, and by replanning county areas. Despite these efforts, 62,000 housing units were added to the existing stock of 69,000 between 1960 and 1970. The $1.5 million PLUS program experience showed that local government has limited control over use of private land, State law and judicial posture should be considered in planning for growth management, and tying growth management to the election cycle promotes closer links between planning and policymaking, and ensures greater attention to citizens' desires. The report details additional results of the program and lessons learned about growth management, development timing, plan making, and citizen participation.